LONGMONT -- The five-year-old Rocky Mountain Bike Festival has a new home: the G'Knight Ride in Longmont. And Bicycle Longmont, organizers of the G'Knight Ride, are hoping it becomes the festival's permanent home.

Scott Conlin, a Bicycle Longmont board member and one of the coordinators of the G'Knight Ride, has bought the bike festival under the corporate name of RMBF Inc. The Bicycle Longmont board has told him it intends to take over permanent possession of the event if things go well this June, Conlin said.

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"Rocky Mountain Bike Festival needs a home to build an audience," said Conlin.

He and his wife bought the festival, which includes the rights to use the name and lists of past sponsors and other potential exhibitors for an undisclosed sum.

The event features custom bike builders, bike demos, events for kids and more.

Carol Johnson started the festival in 2008 and it has moved around throughout its existence, from Denver to Leadville and last year to Boulder County as part of the Superior Morgul Classic.

"We wanted to make it happen in Longmont," Conlin said.

He said pairing it with the G'Knight Ride should turn the festival into a bigger event than it has been. 2013 will be the third year for the G'Knight Ride and up to 3,000 are expected to participate, about triple the number of the first year.

"We think the (RMBF) brand is bigger than just being an expo," Conlin said. "Our goal with the G'Knight Ride and Rocky Mountain Bicycle Festival together is to bring about 75 exhibitors to the event. Last year for the G'Knight Ride we only had 15 to 20."

As in the past, local bike builders will be at the core of the event, Conlin said. He hopes to get about a dozen out to Roosevelt Park on the day of the G'Knight Ride, Saturday, June 15.

One of those custom bike builders is Matt Nunn, owner of Frederick's Samsara Cycles.

This will be his first year participating in the Rocky Mountain Bicycle Festival because he's only gotten into building custom bikes full-time for the past year or so. He's planning on building 50 to 70 bikes this year.

"I think it's a wonderful thing" that the festival is coming to Longmont, Nunn said Tuesday. "I think the Longmont/Boulder area is a wonderful place to be, especially if you're a cyclist."

Samsara Cycles owner Matt Nunn works on a custom bike frame at his home near Frederick on Tuesday. Nunn will participate in this year's Rocky Mountain Bicycle Festival, which will be held in Longmont. Scott Conlin, a Bicycle Longmont board member and one of the coordinators of the G Knight Ride, has bought the bike festival under the corporate name of RMBF Inc.
(
Greg Lindstrom
)

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